Time course of recovery of the somatosensory map following hindpaw sensorydeprivation in the rat

Hindlimb sensory deprivation is known to induce a decrease in the cortical representation of hindpaw, and an increase in the size of the cutaneous rec eptive fields. The aim of the present study was to determine (i) the time-c ourse of recovery when the rat retrieves a normal use of its limbs after a 14-day period of sensory disruption and (ii) whether a 1-day period of sens ory deprivation is sufficient to induce a plasticity. Our results indicate that the remodelling of the cortical map was not observed after 1 day of se nsory deprivation. On the other hand, the recovery was achieved after 6 h. These findings suggest that a procedure reducing sensory function resulted in reversible changes in the somatosensory cortex. The recovery was more ra pid than the induction of plasticity. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd . All rights reserved.